National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard announced today, Friday, May 22, that she is resigning from President Donald Trump’s administration, saying the decision is linked to her husband’s health after he was recently diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer. Fox News reports that Gabbard informed the president during a meeting in the Oval Office and then formalized her decision in a letter, in which she said she is “deeply grateful for the trust placed in me” and confirmed the resignation will be effective June 30.

In the letter, Gabbard stated that her husband “will face significant challenges in the coming weeks and months” and explained she must “temporarily leave public service to be by his side and fully support him in this fight.” She added that her husband “has been my rock throughout our eleven years of marriage,” supporting her during military deployments, campaign seasons, and her current role, and that his “strength and love have sustained me through every challenge.”

Trump: “She did an excellent job, we will miss her”

Trump announced that current Deputy Director Aaron Lukas will take her place on an interim basis. “Unfortunately, after doing an excellent job, Tulsi Gabbard will leave the administration on June 30. Her wonderful husband, Abraham, was recently diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer and she, rightly, wants to be by his side, helping him regain his health as they face a difficult battle together,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I have no doubt he will soon be better than ever. Tulsi has done an incredible job and we will miss her.”